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Northland Car Club took all three podium spots when 37 drivers put the pedal to the metal in the Kaipara Hills bent sprint rally race on July 29.
The event was hosted by the Hibiscus Coast Motorsport Club with competitors coming from five different clubs.
Karl Adnitt, of Northland, was first in his Mitsubishi VR4 with a top lap time of 3.23.871 minutes. He was followed by Bevan Wilson in a BMW 318Ti and Kevin Bennett in a Toyota Celica. Both drivers were less than two seconds behind Adnitt on their fastest laps.
Also high on the ladder was Justin Glavish, of Kaipara Flats, who picked up seventh place in his Toyota Starlet.
The Hibiscus club currently has more than 100 members and organises about 20 events a year.
Club president Kelly James says numbers have been stagnant for a while and new members are more than welcome.
“With the introduction of races like the K2, lots of drivers are going into the track scene,” James says.
“This club is a great place for people wanting to start out though, especially the young ones who can participate in safe events like the motorkhana.” Members can start from as young as 12 in off-road events and any vehicle with a Warrant of Fitness can compete.
“For lower level events you can simply buy a $500 car online and compete, but you will need to spend at least $2000 on a roll cage for the more technical rally stuff,” James says.
The club is also seeking all-weather areas for hosting winter events, with Waikaraka Park carpark one of its current locations.
“In the summer, we can hold days on farms because the ground is dry, but there’s a real shortage of good all-weather venues.
“It would be nice for people to support us. It’s a great way for car enthusiasts to have fun in a safe and legal environment.”
Info: hcmc.org.nz
